Chapter CXI: Section 3: , Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: 886 (2) 2162-2000, FAX (47)

Thailand
general assessment: service to general public adequate, but
investment in technological upgrades reduced by recession; bulk of
service to government activities provided by multichannel cable and
microwave radio relay network
domestic: microwave radio relay and multichannel cable; domestic
satellite system being developed
international: country code - 66; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)

Togo
general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave
radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile
cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional
system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie

Tokelau
general assessment: adequate
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands
international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa;
government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite
earth stations, established in 1997

Tonga
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (1996)

Trinidad and Tobago
general assessment: excellent international
service; good local service
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and
Guyana

Tunisia
general assessment: above the African average and continuing
to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis;
Internet access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial
cable, and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 216; 5 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial
cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in
Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches

Turkey
general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and
expansion, especially with cellular telephones
domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid
increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of
technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both
fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating
communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a
domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile
cellular telephone service is growing rapidly
international: country code - 90; international service is provided
by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black
Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania,
and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile
satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)

Turkmenistan
general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: NA
international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave
radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased
connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new
telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new
exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey
via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat

Turks and Caicos Islands
general assessment: fair cable and
radiotelephone services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Tuvalu
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal
communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: country code - 688

Uganda
general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular
systems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of
main lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular
systems for short-range traffic
international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and
Tanzania

Ukraine
general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development
plan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk
lines, international connections, and the mobile cellular system
domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a
telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;
more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be
satisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestic
trunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system
is expanding at a high rate
international: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines are
a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three
Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic
Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries;
additional international service is provided by the
Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and
by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik
satellite systems

United Arab Emirates
general assessment: modern fiber-optic
integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of
mobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable
international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan;
tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi
Arabia

United Kingdom
general assessment: technologically advanced domestic
and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems
international: country code - 44; 40 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3
Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat;
at least 8 large international switching centers

United States
general assessment: a large, technologically advanced,
multipurpose communications system
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of
telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile
telephone traffic throughout the country
international: country code - 1; 24 ocean cable systems in use;
satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16
Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4
Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)

Uruguay
general assessment: fully digitalized
domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new
nationwide microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)

Uzbekistan
general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious
need of modernization
domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and
technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and
Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in
industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks
had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System
for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile
Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)
international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave
radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased
connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the
completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE)
fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian
facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides
an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite
earth stations - NA (1998)

Vanuatu
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Venezuela
general assessment: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent
substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas;
substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;
installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of
digital multimedia services
international: country code - 58; 3 submarine coaxial cables;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1
PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in
the construction of an international fiber-optic network

Vietnam
general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort
into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system,
but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern
neighbors
domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to
Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or
microwave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantially
increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly
international: country code - 84; satellite earth stations - 2
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)

Virgin Islands
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with total digital switching, uses
fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable and satellite
communications; satellite earth stations - NA

Wake Island
general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSN
circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)
domestic: NA
international: NA

Wallis and Futuna
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 681

West Bank
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA
note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are
responsible for communication services in the West Bank

Western Sahara
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by
microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to
Rabat, Morocco

World
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA

Yemen
general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have
been made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,
cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone
systems
international: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to
Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

Zambia
general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the
best in Sub-Saharan Africa
domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger
towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation;
Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal
(VSAT) networks are operated by private firms
international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Zimbabwe
general assessment: system was once one of the best in
Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000
outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number
of installed but unused main lines
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop
installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet
connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns
and for some of the smaller ones
international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and
Gweru)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@2125 Terrain

Afghanistan
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Albania
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Algeria
mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
discontinuous coastal plain

American Samoa
five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited
coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)

Andorra
rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys

Angola
narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau

Anguilla
flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Antarctica
about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock,
with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain
ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include
parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic
Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers
form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice
shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent

Antigua and Barbuda
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands,
with some higher volcanic areas

Arctic Ocean
central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar
icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure
ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the
Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the
New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland
and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the
summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends
to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50%
continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the
remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges
(Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)

Argentina
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to
rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western
border

Armenia
Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast
flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley

Aruba
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Ashmore and Cartier Islands
low with sand and coral

Atlantic Ocean
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea,
Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October
to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of
currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre
in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire
Atlantic basin

Australia
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Austria
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the
eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping

Azerbaijan
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much
of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north,
Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron
Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Bahamas, The
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Bahrain
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
escarpment

Baker Island
low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow
fringing reef

Bangladesh
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Barbados
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Bassas da India
volcanic rock

Belarus
generally flat and contains much marshland

Belgium
flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,
rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Belize
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

Benin
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Bermuda
low hills separated by fertile depressions

Bhutan
mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna

Bolivia
rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),
hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

Bosnia and Herzegovina
mountains and valleys

Botswana
predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari
Desert in southwest

Bouvet Island
volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible

Brazil
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,
mountains, and narrow coastal belt

British Indian Ocean Territory
flat and low (most areas do not
exceed four meters in elevation)

British Virgin Islands
coral islands relatively flat; volcanic
islands steep, hilly

Brunei
flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland
in west

Bulgaria
mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Burkina Faso
mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in
west and southeast

Burma
central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

Burundi
hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some
plains

Cambodia
mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Cameroon
diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau
in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Canada
mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Cape Verde
steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Cayman Islands
low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs

Central African Republic
vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau;
scattered hills in northeast and southwest

Chad
broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in
northwest, lowlands in south

Chile
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in
east

China
mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains,
deltas, and hills in east

Christmas Island
steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central
plateau

Clipperton Island
coral atoll

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
flat, low-lying coral atolls

Colombia
flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes
Mountains, eastern lowland plains

Comoros
volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low
hills

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
vast central basin is a low-lying
plateau; mountains in east

Congo, Republic of the
coastal plain, southern basin, central
plateau, northern basin

Cook Islands
low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in
south

Coral Sea Islands
sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)

Costa Rica
coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including
over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes

Cote d'Ivoire
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in
northwest

Croatia
geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border,
low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands

Cuba
mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains
in the southeast

Cyprus
central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered
but significant plains along southern coast

Czech Republic
Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains,
hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east
consists of very hilly country

Denmark
low and flat to gently rolling plains

Djibouti
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Dominica
rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Dominican Republic
rugged highlands and mountains with fertile
valleys interspersed

East Timor
mountainous

Ecuador
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands
(sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Egypt
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

El Salvador
mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central
plateau

Equatorial Guinea
coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are
volcanic

Eritrea
dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending
highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the
northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling
plains

Estonia
marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

Ethiopia
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great
Rift Valley

Europa Island
low and flat

European Union
fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast;
mountainous in the central and southern areas

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
rocky, hilly, mountainous with
some boggy, undulating plains

Faroe Islands
rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of
coast

Fiji
mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Finland
mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes
and low hills

France
mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west;
remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east

French Guiana
low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small
mountains

French Polynesia
mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with
reefs

French Southern and Antarctic Lands
volcanic

Gabon
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Gambia, The
flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills

Gaza Strip
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Georgia
largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the
north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi
(Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River
Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains,
foothills of Kolkhida Lowland

Germany
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Ghana
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

Gibraltar
a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar

Glorioso Islands
low and flat

Greece
mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as
peninsulas or chains of islands

Greenland
flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,
mountainous, barren, rocky coast

Grenada
volcanic in origin with central mountains

Guadeloupe
Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior
mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the
seven other islands are volcanic in origin

Guam
volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat
coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep
coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in
center, mountains in south

Guatemala
mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling
limestone plateau (Peten)

Guernsey
mostly level with low hills in southwest

Guinea
generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior

Guinea-Bissau
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Guyana
mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

Haiti
mostly rough and mountainous

Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Heard Island - 80% ice-covered,
bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an
active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky

Holy See (Vatican City)
low hill

Honduras
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Hong Kong
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Howland Island
low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island
surrounded by a narrow fringing reef; depressed central area

Hungary
mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on
the Slovakian border

Iceland
mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields;
coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

India
upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain
along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Indian Ocean
surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad,
circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique
reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low
atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer
air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast
winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from
cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and
northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated
by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian
Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge

Indonesia
mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior
mountains

Iran
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

Iraq
mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in
south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran
and Turkey

Ireland
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged
hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

Israel
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central
mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

Italy
mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Jamaica
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Jan Mayen
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Japan
mostly rugged and mountainous

Jarvis Island
sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing
reef

Jersey
gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast

Johnston Atoll
mostly flat

Jordan
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great
Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Juan de Nova Island
low and flat

Kazakhstan
extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from
the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Kenya
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift
Valley; fertile plateau in west

Kingman Reef
low and nearly level

Kiribati
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

Korea, North
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow
valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Korea, South
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west
and south

Kuwait
flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Kyrgyzstan
peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins
encompass entire nation

Laos
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Latvia
low plain

Lebanon
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Lesotho
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Liberia
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling
plateau and low mountains in northeast

Libya
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

Liechtenstein
mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western
third

Lithuania
lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

Luxembourg
mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow
valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope
down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast

Macau
generally flat

Macedonia
mountainous territory covered with deep basins and
valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country
bisected by the Vardar River

Madagascar
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center

Malawi
narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills,
some mountains

Malaysia
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Maldives
flat, with white sandy beaches

Mali
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna
in south, rugged hills in northeast

Malta
mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal
cliffs

Man, Isle of
hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Marshall Islands
low coral limestone and sand islands

Martinique
mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano

Mauritania
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central
hills

Mauritius
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains
encircling central plateau

Mayotte
generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic
peaks

Mexico
high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;
desert

Micronesia, Federated States of
islands vary geologically from high
mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on
Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk

Midway Islands
low, nearly level

Moldova
rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

Monaco
hilly, rugged, rocky

Mongolia
vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains
in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central

Montserrat
volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal
lowland

Morocco
northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas
of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains

Mozambique
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus
in northwest, mountains in west

Namibia
mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari
Desert in east

Nauru
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs
with phosphate plateau in center

Navassa Island
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to
undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)

Nepal
Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north

Netherlands
mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders);
some hills in southeast

Netherlands Antilles
generally hilly, volcanic interiors

New Caledonia
coastal plains with interior mountains

New Zealand
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Nicaragua
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central
interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by
volcanoes

Niger
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling
plains in south; hills in north

Nigeria
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus;
mountains in southeast, plains in north

Niue
steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau

Norfolk Island
volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains

Northern Mariana Islands
southern islands are limestone with level
terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic

Norway
glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken
by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply
indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Oman
central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south

Pacific Ocean
surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated
by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents)
and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre;
in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of
Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica
reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the
eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the
western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana
Trench, which is the world's deepest

Pakistan
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;
Balochistan plateau in west

Palau
varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of
Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier
reefs

Palmyra Atoll
very low

Panama
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland
plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills

Papua New Guinea
mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling
foothills

Paracel Islands
mostly low and flat

Paraguay
grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran
Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the
river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere

Peru
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center
(sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

Philippines
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal
lowlands

Pitcairn Islands
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with
cliffs

Poland
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

Portugal
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in
south

Puerto Rico
mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north;
mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most
coastal areas

Qatar
mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and
gravel

Reunion
mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Romania
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of
Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from
the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps

Russia
broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous
forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern
border regions

Rwanda
mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with
altitude declining from west to east

Saint Helena
Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered
plateaus and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin

Saint Kitts and Nevis
volcanic with mountainous interiors

Saint Lucia
volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
mostly barren rock

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
volcanic, mountainous

Samoa
two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands
and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky,
rugged mountains in interior

San Marino
rugged mountains

Sao Tome and Principe
volcanic, mountainous

Saudi Arabia
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

Senegal
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in
southeast

Serbia and Montenegro
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile
plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast,
ancient mountains and hills; to the southwest, extremely high
shoreline with no islands off the coast

Seychelles
Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky,
hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs

Sierra Leone
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country,
upland plateau, mountains in east

Singapore
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water
catchment area and nature preserve

Slovakia
rugged mountains in the central and northern part and
lowlands in the south

Slovenia
a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain
region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys
with numerous rivers to the east

Solomon Islands
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Somalia
mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north

South Africa
vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow
coastal plain

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
most of the islands,
rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South
Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains;
the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active
volcanoes

Southern Ocean
the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters
over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water;
the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually
deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean
is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum
of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million
square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in
area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves
perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current,
transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100
times the flow of all the world's rivers

Spain
large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;
Pyrenees in north

Spratly Islands
flat

Sri Lanka
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in
south-central interior

Sudan
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south,
northeast and west; desert dominates the north

Suriname
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Svalbard
wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west
coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and
north coasts

Swaziland
mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

Sweden
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west

Switzerland
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with
a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes

Syria
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain;
mountains in west

Taiwan
eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently
rolling plains in west

Tajikistan
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western
Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest

Tanzania
plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north,
south

Thailand
central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains
elsewhere

Togo
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern
plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Tokelau
low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons

Tonga
most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral
formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base

Trinidad and Tobago
mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Tromelin Island
low, flat, and sandy; likely volcanic

Tunisia
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south
merges into the Sahara

Turkey
high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain;
several mountain ranges

Turkmenistan
flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to
mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran;
borders Caspian Sea in west

Turks and Caicos Islands
low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and
mangrove swamps

Tuvalu
very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Uganda
mostly plateau with rim of mountains

Ukraine
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and
plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians),
and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

United Arab Emirates
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling
sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east

United Kingdom
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to
rolling plains in east and southeast

United States
vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low
mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in
Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii

Uruguay
mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Uzbekistan
mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad,
flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya,
Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east
surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral
Sea in west

Vanuatu
mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow
coastal plains

Venezuela
Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest;
central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast

Vietnam
low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;
hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Virgin Islands
mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little
level land

Wake Island
atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater
volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim

Wallis and Futuna
volcanic origin; low hills

West Bank
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west,
but barren in east

Western Sahara
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or
sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast

World
the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in
the Pacific Ocean

Yemen
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged
mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the
desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula

Zambia
mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Zimbabwe
mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high
veld); mountains in east

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman)

Afghanistan
6.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Albania
2.05 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Algeria
2.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)

American Samoa
3.41 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Andorra
1.28 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Angola
6.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Anguilla
1.74 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda
2.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Argentina
2.24 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Armenia
1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Aruba
1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Australia
1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Austria
1.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Azerbaijan
2.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Bahamas, The
2.23 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Bahrain
2.67 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Bangladesh
3.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Barbados
1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Belarus
1.36 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Belgium
1.64 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Belize
3.77 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Benin
5.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Bermuda
1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Bhutan
4.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Bolivia
3.08 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina
1.71 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Botswana
3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Brazil
1.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)

British Virgin Islands
1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Brunei
2.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Bulgaria
1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Burkina Faso
6.28 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Burma
2.08 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Burundi
5.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cambodia
3.51 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cameroon
4.55 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Canada
1.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cape Verde
3.62 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cayman Islands
1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Central African Republic
4.59 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Chad
6.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Chile
2.06 children born/woman (2004 est.)

China
1.69 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Christmas Island
NA children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
NA children born/woman (2004 est.)

Colombia
2.59 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Comoros
5.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
6.62 children born/woman (2004
est.)

Congo, Republic of the
3.54 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cook Islands
NA children born/woman (2004 est.)

Costa Rica
2.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire
5.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Croatia
1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cuba
1.66 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Cyprus
1.85 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Czech Republic
1.18 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Denmark
1.74 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Djibouti
5.48 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Dominica
1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Dominican Republic
2.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)

East Timor
3.7 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Ecuador
2.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Egypt
2.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)

El Salvador
3.2 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Equatorial Guinea
4.68 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Eritrea
5.67 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Estonia
1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Ethiopia
5.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)

European Union
1.48 children born/woman (July 2004 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
NA children born/woman (2004 est.)

Faroe Islands
2.22 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Fiji
2.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Finland
1.73 children born/woman (2004 est.)

France
1.85 children born/woman (2004 est.)

French Guiana
3.05 children born/woman (2004 est.)

French Polynesia
2.09 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Gabon
4.8 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Gambia, The
5.46 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Gaza Strip
6.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Georgia
1.4 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Germany
1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Ghana
3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Gibraltar
1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Greece
1.32 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Greenland
2.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Grenada
2.41 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Guadeloupe
1.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Guam
2.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Guatemala
4.6 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Guernsey
1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Guinea
5.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Guinea-Bissau
5 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Guyana
2.06 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Haiti
4.76 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Honduras
3.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hong Kong
0.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hungary
1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Iceland
1.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)

India
2.85 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Indonesia
2.47 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Iran
1.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Iraq
4.4 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Ireland
1.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Israel
2.47 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Italy
1.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Jamaica
1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Japan
1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Jersey
1.57 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Jordan
2.86 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Kazakhstan
1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Kenya
3.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Kiribati
4.24 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Korea, North
2.2 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Korea, South
1.56 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Kuwait
3.03 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Kyrgyzstan
2.71 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Laos
4.86 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Latvia
1.25 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Lebanon
1.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Lesotho
3.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Liberia
6.16 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Libya
3.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Liechtenstein
1.51 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Lithuania
1.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Luxembourg
1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Macau
0.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Macedonia
1.74 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Madagascar
5.7 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Malawi
6.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Malaysia
3.1 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Maldives
5.14 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Mali
6.58 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Malta
1.49 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Man, Isle of
1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Marshall Islands
4.02 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Martinique
1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Mauritania
6.01 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Mauritius
1.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Mayotte
5.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Mexico
2.49 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of
3.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Moldova
1.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Monaco
1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Mongolia
2.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Montserrat
1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Morocco
2.81 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Mozambique
4.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Namibia
4.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Nauru
3.29 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Nepal
4.29 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Netherlands
1.66 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Netherlands Antilles
2.02 children born/woman (2004 est.)

New Caledonia
2.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)

New Zealand
1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Nicaragua
2.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Niger
6.83 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Nigeria
5.32 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Niue
NA children born/woman (2004 est.)

Norfolk Island
NA children born/woman (2004 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands
1.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Norway
1.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Oman
5.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Pakistan
4.29 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Palau
2.46 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Panama
2.49 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Papua New Guinea
4.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Paraguay
3.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Peru
2.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Philippines
3.22 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Pitcairn Islands
NA children born/woman

Poland
1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Portugal
1.46 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Puerto Rico
1.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Qatar
2.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Reunion
2.5 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Romania
1.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Russia
1.26 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Rwanda
5.55 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Saint Helena
1.54 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis
2.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Saint Lucia
2.25 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
2.05 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Samoa
3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)

San Marino
1.32 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe
5.8 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Saudi Arabia
4.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Senegal
4.84 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Serbia and Montenegro
1.67 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Seychelles
1.77 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Sierra Leone
5.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Singapore
1.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Slovakia
1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Slovenia
1.23 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Solomon Islands
4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Somalia
6.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)

South Africa
2.18 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Spain
1.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Sri Lanka
1.88 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Sudan
4.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Suriname
2.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Svalbard
NA children born/woman

Swaziland
3.81 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Sweden
1.66 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Switzerland
1.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Syria
3.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Taiwan
1.57 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Tajikistan
4.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Tanzania
5.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Thailand
1.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Togo
4.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Tokelau
NA children born/woman

Tonga
3 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago
1.77 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Tunisia
1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Turkey
1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Turkmenistan
3.45 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands
3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Tuvalu
3.02 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Uganda
6.64 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Ukraine
1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)

United Arab Emirates
3.02 children born/woman (2004 est.)

United Kingdom
1.66 children born/woman (2004 est.)

United States
2.07 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Uruguay
1.96 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Uzbekistan
2.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Vanuatu
2.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Venezuela
2.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Vietnam
2.22 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Virgin Islands
2.21 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Wallis and Futuna
NA children born/woman

West Bank
4.52 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Western Sahara
NA children born/woman

World
2.62 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Yemen
6.75 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Zambia
5.14 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Zimbabwe
3.6 children born/woman (2004 est.)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@2128 Government type

Afghanistan
Islamic republic

Albania
emerging democracy

Algeria
republic

American Samoa
NA

Andorra
parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as
its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the
president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are
represented locally by coprinces' representatives

Angola
republic, nominally a multiparty democracy with a strong
presidential system

Anguilla
NA

Antarctica
Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed
on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961,
establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica;
the 26th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Madrid,
Spain in June 2003; at these periodic meetings, decisions are made
by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; at
the end of 2003, there were 45 treaty member nations: 27
consultative and 18 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making)
members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica
as national territory (some claims overlap) and 20 non-claimant
nations; the US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims;
the US does not recognize the claims of others; Antarctica is
administered through meetings of the consultative member nations;
decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member
nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in
accordance with their own national laws; the year in parentheses
indicates when an acceding nation was accepted as a consultative
member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959
treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia,
Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant
consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1983), Bulgaria (1998)
China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India
(1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990),
Peru (1989), Poland (1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1988),
Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985), and the US; non-consultative members,
with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada
(1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1993), Denmark
(1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary
(1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971),
Slovakia (1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1995), Ukraine (1992),
and Venezuela (1999); Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful
purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is
prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for
scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 -
freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue;
Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation
with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not
recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new
claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 -
prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes;
Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south
of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights;
Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including
aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations,
installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and
of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 -
allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own
states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among
member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage
activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the
treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the
parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 -
deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among
involved nations; other agreements - some 200 recommendations
adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments
include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were
later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for
the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral
resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was
signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this
agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment
through five specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment,
2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and
waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, and 5) area
protection and management; it prohibits all activities relating to
mineral resources except scientific research

Antigua and Barbuda
constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament

Argentina
republic

Armenia
republic

Aruba
parliamentary democracy

Australia
democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British
monarch as sovereign

Austria
federal republic

Azerbaijan
republic

Bahamas, The
constitutional parliamentary democracy

Bahrain
constitutional hereditary monarchy

Bangladesh
parliamentary democracy

Barbados
parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within
the Commonwealth

Belarus
republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

Belgium
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional
monarch

Belize
parliamentary democracy

Benin
republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped
Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms adopted February
1990; transition to multiparty system completed 4 April 1991

Bermuda
parliamentary British overseas territory with internal
self-government

Bhutan
monarchy; special treaty relationship with India

Bolivia
republic

Bosnia and Herzegovina
emerging federal democratic republic

Botswana
parliamentary republic

Brazil
federative republic

British Virgin Islands
NA

Brunei
constitutional sultanate

Bulgaria
parliamentary democracy

Burkina Faso
parliamentary republic

Burma
military junta

Burundi
republic

Cambodia
multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy
established in September 1993

Cameroon
unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime
(opposition parties legalized in 1990)
note: preponderance of power remains with the president

Canada
confederation with parliamentary democracy

Cape Verde
republic

Cayman Islands
British crown colony

Central African Republic
republic

Chad
republic

Chile
republic

China
Communist state

Christmas Island
NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands
NA

Colombia
republic; executive branch dominates government structure

Comoros
independent republic

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
dictatorship; presumably
undergoing a transition to representative government

Congo, Republic of the
republic

Cook Islands
self-governing parliamentary democracy

Costa Rica
democratic republic

Cote d'Ivoire
republic; multiparty presidential regime established
1960

Croatia
presidential/parliamentary democracy

Cuba
Communist state

Cyprus
republic
note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the
island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this
separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in
July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave
the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots
control the only internationally recognized government; on 15
November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared
independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus" (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly
support a settlement based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

Czech Republic
parliamentary democracy

Denmark
constitutional monarchy

Djibouti
republic

Dominica
parliamentary democracy; republic within the Commonwealth

Dominican Republic
representative democracy

East Timor
Republic

Ecuador
republic

Egypt
republic

El Salvador
republic

Equatorial Guinea
republic

Eritrea
transitional government
note: following a successful referendum on independence for the
Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National
Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and
Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a
Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a
constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the
transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997,
did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential
elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled in December
2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal
party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)

Estonia
parliamentary republic

Ethiopia
federal republic

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
NA

Faroe Islands
NA

Fiji
republic
note: military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally
declared Fiji a republic on 6 October 1987

Finland
republic

France
republic

French Guiana
NA

French Polynesia
NA

Gabon
republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties
legalized in 1990)

Gambia, The
republic under multiparty democratic rule

Georgia
republic

Germany
federal republic

Ghana
constitutional democracy

Gibraltar
NA

Greece
parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8
December 1974

Greenland
parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

Grenada
constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament

Guadeloupe
NA

Guam
NA

Guatemala
constitutional democratic republic

Guernsey
NA

Guinea
republic

Guinea-Bissau
republic, multiparty since mid-1991

Guyana
republic within the Commonwealth

Haiti
elected government

Holy See (Vatican City)
ecclesiastical

Honduras
democratic constitutional republic

Hong Kong
limited democracy

Hungary
parliamentary democracy

Iceland
constitutional republic

India
federal republic

Indonesia
republic

Iran
theocratic republic

Iraq
none; note - the Iraqi Interim Government (IG) was appointed on
1 June 2004

Ireland
republic

Israel
parliamentary democracy

Italy
republic

Jamaica
constitutional parliamentary democracy

Japan
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government

Jersey
NA

Jordan
constitutional monarchy

Kazakhstan
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little
power outside the executive branch

Kenya
republic

Kiribati
republic

Korea, North
Communist state one-man dictatorship

Korea, South
republic

Kuwait
nominal constitutional monarchy

Kyrgyzstan
republic

Laos
Communist state

Latvia
parliamentary democracy

Lebanon
republic

Lesotho
parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Liberia
republic

Libya
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the
populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship

Liechtenstein
hereditary constitutional monarchy on a democratic and
parliamentary basis

Lithuania
parliamentary democracy

Luxembourg
constitutional monarchy

Macau
limited democracy

Macedonia
parliamentary democracy

Madagascar
republic

Malawi
multiparty democracy

Malaysia
constitutional monarchy
note: Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August
1957; Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore)
formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left Federation on 9 August 1965);
nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament
consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house;
all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka
and Penang; those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East
Malaysia have governors appointed by Malaysian Government; powers of
state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms
of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional
prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration
controls); Sabah - currently holds 20 seats in House of
Representatives and will hold 25 seats after the next election;
Sarawak holds 28 seats in House of Representatives

Maldives
republic

Mali
republic

Malta
republic

Man, Isle of
parliamentary democracy

Marshall Islands
constitutional government in free association with
the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21
October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004

Martinique
NA

Mauritania
republic

Mauritius
parliamentary democracy

Mayotte
NA

Mexico
federal republic

Micronesia, Federated States of
constitutional government in free
association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered
into force 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into
force May 2004

Moldova
republic

Monaco
constitutional monarchy

Mongolia
mixed parliamentary/presidential

Montserrat
NA

Morocco
constitutional monarchy

Mozambique
republic

Namibia
republic

Nauru
republic

Nepal
parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

Netherlands
constitutional monarchy

Netherlands Antilles
parliamentary

New Caledonia
NA

New Zealand
parliamentary democracy

Nicaragua
republic

Niger
republic

Nigeria
republic transitioning from military to civilian rule

Niue
self-governing parliamentary democracy

Norfolk Island
NA